Dean-James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences

The James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences (Wyant College) at The University of Arizona (U of A), a premier center for research, education, and outreach in optics, invites applications and nominations for the position of Dean.

The Dean at the James C. Wyant College of Optical Science at the University of Arizona is a leadership position responsible for supporting and advancing the work of the College. This role is critical to ensuring efficient operational effectiveness of the College. The incumbent will lead and oversee strategic priorities and objectives for the College and the university, and as such will demonstrate strong alignment with the U of A’s mission, values, and strategic vision, and possess a record of success, sound judgement, integrity, discretion and flexibility working in a complex, dynamic and demanding environment.
With the arrival of our new President Suresh Garimella, the U of A is positioned for a strong financial future with an accelerated focus on its mission of excellence in educating students, conducting outstanding research, and delivering on its land-grant mission. This is a preeminent opportunity for a forward-focused leader, experienced with the changes occurring in higher education, and eager to work in close partnership with President Garimella and senior leadership colleagues to guide the University of Arizona through this time of critical change.

The University of Arizona

Established in 1885, the U of A is Arizona’s flagship, land-grant university and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. Recognized as a global leader in higher education and classified as a Carnegie R1 institution, the U of A conducts more than $1 billion in research and development activities each year and is currently ranked in the top 25 among American public universities. Advancing the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships, the university benefits the state with an estimated economic impact of $8.3 billion annually. The 3,300 faculty of the U of A serve more than 45,000 undergraduate students and over 11,000 graduate and professional students. The U of A offers more than 300 majors and provides undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs in its 22 colleges.

The university is also closing in on its $3 billion Fuel Wonder fundraising campaign. Fuel Wonder harnesses the power of philanthropy to enhance the student experience and inspire the next generation of changemakers. Supporting scholarships for students and endowed professorships and chairs for faculty, Fuel Wonder helps the U of A continue to transform lives and conduct world-changing research.

Tucson, Arizona

A hub for adventure, flavor, and culture in the heart of the Southwest.

Nestled in the lush Sonoran Desert and surrounded by mountain ranges, Tucson blends vibrant city life with breathtaking natural beauty. Averaging 350 days of sunshine, it’s a haven for outdoor enthusiasts – hiking, biking, and exploring are always in season.

Rich in history and culture, Tucson’s roots stretch back 12,000 years. The region reflects a blend of Native American, Mexican, and Spanish influences, evident in its art, architecture, and other traditions.

Designated as the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in the United States, Tucson also is a foodie’s dream. Local ingredients and bold flavors define a culinary scene shaped by traditions as diverse as its people.

Beyond food, Tucson thrives with art, music, and events. From the Tucson Festival of Books to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, there’s always something to inspire.

With a metro area of more than 1 million, Tucson is a thriving center for innovation, education, and economic opportunity, offering a taste of the Southwest like no other.

Fast Facts

• Oldest city in Arizona (established 1877)
• Tucson metropolitan area population: 1 million+
• Elevation: 2,389 feet
• Annual visitors: 7 million
• Average annual temperature: low 50F and high 84F

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

About the College

The Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona is home to one of the most vibrant and rapidly growing optics education and research organizations in the world. The college conducts research and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in a wide range of optical disciplines which are organized across four major discipline areas: Optical Engineering, Optical Physics, Imaging Science, and Photonics. It has approximately 60 primary faculty members, and approximately 20 joint faculty with joint appointments across 9 other University departments including Physics, Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Astronomy. The College is home to some of the most respected and established scientific minds in the field, with faculty holding prestigious positions and honors within the National Academies and industry associations and has included three Nobel Laureates.

The College currently hosts approximately 150 undergraduate students majoring in Optical Sciences and Engineering and 350 graduate students representing the largest PhD program in the United States of its kind. Additionally, the college offers an online program via Arizona Online that largely facilitates students’ graduate education while employed in industry.

Regarded as one of the most research-intensive Colleges on campus, the College manages a diverse portfolio of sponsored research initiatives across federal, philanthropic, and for-profit partnerships, with the broadest portfolio of industry research engagements on campus. As an extension of these partnerships, Wyant College also boasts an active Industrial Affiliates Program with more than sixty member companies which meet on campus twice a year to engage in student recruitment and research collaborations.

Wyant College is housed within the Meinel Complex, sitting directly off the University of Arizona Mall, and is home to over 100,000 SQFT of advanced research labs and educational classrooms. To facilitate the rapid growth of the College, in 2020 the University supported the addition of the Grand Challenges Research Building (GCRB) within the Meinel Complex. The GCRB was completed in 2024 and houses four full floors of Wyant College faculty and is home to the College’s NSF Center for Quantum Networks (CQN). Valued at over $50M for over ten years CQN is working to build the foundations of the Quantum Internet. GCRB is quickly becoming a valuable interdisciplinary hub on campus where scientists across Optics, Engineering, Physics, Astronomy, and other disciplines work to tackle the major scientific challenges of the modern world.

Further information about the College is available at http://www.optics.arizona.edu/

Further information about the GCRB is available at: https://research.arizona.edu/grand-challenges-research-building

Duties and Responsibilities

The Dean
is expected to provide executive leadership and vision for the College’s
research and academic programs, to maintain excellence and accreditation in
existing programs, and to foster new programs within emerging discipline areas
of high impact. Additional responsibilities include strategic planning; executive-level
fiscal management and accountability for the College; faculty recruitment,
development, and evaluation; student recruitment and retention; fundraising
from a variety of governmental, industrial, and philanthropic sources, and university
and community relations. In addition, a critical role will be to steward the
College’s diverse sources of Endowment, including the largest endowed chair
program in the history of the State of Arizona created by the College’s
namesake James C. Wyant in 2019.

The ideal
candidate will be able to demonstrate the ability to provide College leadership
and strong engagement in academic, research, management, and University-wide
endeavors.

Academic
Leadership

As an
academic leader, the Dean will be concerned with articulating and advancing the
intellectual vision and academic agenda of the Wyant College of Optical
Sciences as an integrated program that combines education, research,
scholarship, and service. The Dean will be expected to formulate and promote a college-level
strategic plan in collaboration with faculty that aligns with the collective
vision of the discipline expertise resident within the organization. The Dean
will also be expected to advance innovative curricular initiatives, foster organizational
processes that meet the needs of students and faculty, and recruit and retain high-quality
faculty worthy of the College’s legacy of scientific and educational impact. Faculty
recruitment must be balanced to ensure that they form a synergetic college
portfolio that contributes to the vitality of our academic programs as well as
bringing distinguished leadership to the research and outreach missions of the
College.

Research and Innovation Leadership

As a research leader, the Dean will be expected to
champion, facilitate, and advocate for excellence in the research mission of
the college. The Dean will shape the College’s growth in the scale, scope, and
magnitude of its research and ensure that the college is fully aligned with the
strategic research imperatives and priorities of the university. In addition,
the Dean will promote transdisciplinary research and will work closely with
other colleges and the Office of Research, Innovation and Impact (RII) to foster collaboration that maximizes the growth and impact of
the University’s research enterprise. The Dean will be an advocate for
innovation and will value, promote, and facilitate the ability of faculty to
advance their interests in technology commercialization and startup creation in
partnership with RII and Tech Launch Arizona. Furthermore, the Dean will foster
partnerships with philanthropic organizations and promote and facilitate
sponsored research agreements with private sector industry to advance the
research goals of the College and the University.

Management
Leadership

The Dean will
be expected to plan and oversee budgeting to exercise fiscal stewardship and
responsibility for college resources across diverse sources of revenue and will
be responsible for managing activities related to personnel policy and
personnel actions (recruitment, retention, reviews, managing grievances,
etc.). As part of the role and personnel responsibilities, the Dean will
maintain an organizational climate and budgetary processes that advance the goals
and objectives of both the College and the University’s strategic plans and
programs.
University
Leadership

Present
an effective participation in decanal discussion groups, working in
partnership with other colleges and campus units to enhance the university’s
overall excellence in teaching, research, and outreach is essential. The Dean
may also be called upon by the University leadership in helping to plan future
strategic initiatives for the university which may include engaging in
development and outreach into the many and diverse constituencies the
university serves. This may occasionally require setting aside specific
interests of a college in favor of support for broader institutional
objectives.

Stakeholder
Engagement

The
College has several interdisciplinary partnerships and national prominence across
multiple public and private sector enterprises, industry societies, and
governmental agencies. Personal strengths as a premier scholar, researcher, and
educator in the field are desired to properly represent and advocate for both
the College, the University, and the field of optical sciences as a whole at
the local, state and national levels where appropriate.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Demonstrated ability to create and sustain
  interdisciplinary research and education initiatives in collaboration
  with organizational leaders of cognate academic units and research
  centers across the university.
• Exemplary
  interpersonal and communication skills to effectively communicate with a
  wide audience of students, faculty, university administrators, alumni,
  advisory board members, community members, and potential benefactors.
• Demonstrated commitment to academic excellence at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

• An earned doctorate and a distinguished record of scholarship, sponsored research, teaching and service in a field appropriate for tenured appointment in one of the four major discipline areas of the College.
• Strong and proven capabilities in complex organizational management, including strategic planning, financial stewardship, budget creation, resource allocation, human resource management, risk management, and related decision-making.
• A strong personal record of research excellence and international reputation for research in a field aligned with the major elements of the College.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Demonstrated leadership experience in a technically diverse organization or academic unit associated with optics, engineering, physics, or related fields.
• Experience in philanthropy.